Ella VerbsHow to conjugate Trabajar in Spanish
trabajar to work Regular AR Verb Top 100
At a glance: Trabajar (to work) is one of the most common regular -AR verbs in Spanish. In the present tense: trabajo, trabajas, trabaja, trabajamos, trabajáis, trabajan. Because it is fully regular, its endings apply directly to hundreds of other -AR verbs.
- Past participle
- trabajado worked
- Gerund
- trabajando working
- Similar
- funcionar, resultar
Table of contents
- Indicative tenses of Trabajar
- Trabajar in the Indicative Present
- Trabajar in the Indicative Preterite
- Trabajar in the Indicative Imperfect
- Trabajar in the Indicative Present Continuous
- Trabajar in the Indicative Informal Future
- Trabajar in the Indicative Future
- Trabajar in the Indicative Conditional
- Trabajar in the Indicative Present Perfect
- Trabajar in the Indicative Past Perfect
- Trabajar in the Indicative Future Perfect
- Trabajar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
- Subjunctive tenses of Trabajar
- Imperative tenses of Trabajar
- Verbs that follow the same patterns
- Example sentences and usage
- Frequently asked questions
- Downloadable cheat sheet (PDF)
- Practise Trabajar conjugations (free mobile app)
Trabajar conjugation tables as a PDF
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Indicative tenses of Trabajar
Trabajar in the Indicative Present
The Indicative Present of trabajar is used to talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths. For example, “trabajo en una cuidad grande”, meaning “I work in a big city”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present is known as "El Presente".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | trabajo | I work |
| Tú | trabajas | you work |
| Ella / Él / Usted | trabaja | s/he works |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | trabajamos | we work |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | trabajáis | you (plural) work |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | trabajan | they work |
How it’s built: Regular: stem trabaj- plus the -ar endings.
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Trabajar in the Indicative Preterite
The Indicative Preterite of trabajar is used to talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time. For example, “trabajé en una cuidad grande”, meaning “I worked in a big city”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Preterite is known as "El Pretérito Indefinido".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | trabajé | I worked |
| Tú | trabajaste | you worked |
| Ella / Él / Usted | trabajó | s/he worked |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | trabajamos | we worked |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | trabajasteis | you (plural) worked |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | trabajaron | they worked |
How it’s built: Regular: stem trabaj- plus the -ar endings.
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Trabajar in the Indicative Imperfect
The Indicative Imperfect of trabajar is used to describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do. For example, “trabajaba en una cuidad grande”, meaning “I used to work in a big city”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Imperfect is known as "El Pretérito Imperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | trabajaba | I used to work |
| Tú | trabajabas | you used to work |
| Ella / Él / Usted | trabajaba | s/he used to work |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | trabajábamos | we used to work |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | trabajabais | you (plural) used to work |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | trabajaban | they used to work |
How it’s built: Regular: stem trabaj- plus the -ar endings.
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Trabajar in the Indicative Present Continuous
The Indicative Present Continuous of trabajar is used to talk about something that is happening continuously or right now. For example, “estoy trabajando en una cuidad grande”, meaning “I am working in a big city”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Continuous is known as "El Presente Progresivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | estoy trabajando | I am working |
| Tú | estás trabajando | you are working |
| Ella / Él / Usted | está trabajando | s/he is working |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | estamos trabajando | we are working |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | estáis trabajando | you (plural) are working |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | están trabajando | they are working |
How it’s built: Estar in the present (estoy, estás, está, estamos, estáis, están) plus the gerund trabajando.
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Trabajar in the Indicative Informal Future
The Indicative Informal Future of trabajar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future, especially in the near future. For example, “voy a trabajar en una cuidad grande”, meaning “I am going to work in a big city”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Informal Future is known as "El Futuro Próximo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | voy a trabajar | I am going to work |
| Tú | vas a trabajar | you are going to work |
| Ella / Él / Usted | va a trabajar | s/he is going to work |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | vamos a trabajar | we are going to work |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | vais a trabajar | you (plural) are going to work |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | van a trabajar | they are going to work |
How it’s built: Ir in the present (voy, vas, va, vamos, vais, van), then a, then the infinitive trabajar.
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Trabajar in the Indicative Future
The Indicative Future of trabajar is used to talk about something that will happen in the future. For example, “trabajaré en una cuidad grande”, meaning “I will work in a big city”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future is known as "El Futuro Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | trabajaré | I will work |
| Tú | trabajarás | you will work |
| Ella / Él / Usted | trabajará | s/he will work |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | trabajaremos | we will work |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | trabajaréis | you (plural) will work |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | trabajarán | they will work |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive trabajar plus the future endings.
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Trabajar in the Indicative Conditional
The Indicative Conditional of trabajar is used to talk about something that may happen in the future, hypothesis and probabilities. For example, “trabajaría en una cuidad grande”, meaning “I would work in a big city”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional is known as "El Condicional Simple".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | trabajaría | I would work |
| Tú | trabajarías | you would work |
| Ella / Él / Usted | trabajaría | s/he would work |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | trabajaríamos | we would work |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | trabajaríais | you (plural) would work |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | trabajarían | they would work |
How it’s built: Regular: the infinitive trabajar plus the conditional endings.
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Trabajar in the Indicative Present Perfect
The Indicative Present Perfect of trabajar is used to describe actions that started recently (in the past) and are still happening now or things that have been done recently. For example, “he trabajado en una cuidad grande”, meaning “I have worked in a big city”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | he trabajado | I have worked |
| Tú | has trabajado | you have worked |
| Ella / Él / Usted | ha trabajado | s/he has worked |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hemos trabajado | we have worked |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habéis trabajado | you (plural) have worked |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | han trabajado | they have worked |
How it’s built: Haber in the present (he, has, ha, hemos, habéis, han) plus the past participle trabajado.
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Trabajar in the Indicative Past Perfect
The Indicative Past Perfect of trabajar is used to talk about actions that happened before another action in the past. For example, “había trabajado en una cuidad grande”, meaning “I had worked in a big city”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | había trabajado | I had worked |
| Tú | habías trabajado | you had worked |
| Ella / Él / Usted | había trabajado | s/he had worked |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habíamos trabajado | we had worked |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habíais trabajado | you (plural) had worked |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habían trabajado | they had worked |
How it’s built: Haber in the imperfect (había, habías, había, habíamos, habíais, habían) plus the past participle trabajado.
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Trabajar in the Indicative Future Perfect
The Indicative Future Perfect of trabajar is used to talk about something that will have happened in the future after something else has already happened. For example, “habré trabajado en una cuidad grande”, meaning “I will have worked in a big city”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habré trabajado | I will have worked |
| Tú | habrás trabajado | you will have worked |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habrá trabajado | s/he will have worked |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habremos trabajado | we will have worked |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habréis trabajado | you (plural) will have worked |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrán trabajado | they will have worked |
How it’s built: Haber in the future (habré, habrás, habrá, habremos, habréis, habrán) plus the past participle trabajado.
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Trabajar in the Indicative Conditional Perfect
The Indicative Conditional Perfect of trabajar is used to talk about something that would have happened in the past but didn’t due to another action. For example, “habría trabajado en una cuidad grande”, meaning “I would have worked in a big city”.
In Spanish, the Indicative Conditional Perfect is known as "El Condicional Perfecto".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | habría trabajado | I would have worked |
| Tú | habrías trabajado | you would have worked |
| Ella / Él / Usted | habría trabajado | s/he would have worked |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | habríamos trabajado | we would have worked |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | habríais trabajado | you (plural) would have worked |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | habrían trabajado | they would have worked |
How it’s built: Haber in the conditional (habría, habrías, habría, habríamos, habríais, habrían) plus the past participle trabajado.
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Subjunctive tenses of Trabajar
Trabajar in the Subjunctive Present
The Subjunctive Present is used to talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about. For example, “trabaje”, meaning “I work”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present is known as "El Presente de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | trabaje | I work |
| Tú | trabajes | you work |
| Ella / Él / Usted | trabaje | s/he works |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | trabajemos | we work |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | trabajéis | you (plural) work |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | trabajen | they work |
How it’s built: Regular: stem trabaj- plus the -ar subjunctive endings.
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Trabajar in the Subjunctive Imperfect
The Subjunctive Imperfect is used to speak about unlikely or uncertain events in the past or to cast an opinion (emotional) about something that happened in the past. For example, “trabajara”, meaning “I worked”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Imperfect is known as "El Imperfecto Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | trabajara | I worked |
| Tú | trabajaras | you worked |
| Ella / Él / Usted | trabajara | s/he worked |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | trabajáramos | we worked |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | trabajarais | you (plural) worked |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | trabajaran | they worked |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, trabajaron, without -ron, plus the -ra endings; nosotros adds an accent (trabajáramos).
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Trabajar in the Subjunctive Future
The Subjunctive Future is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that may happen in the future. For example, “trabajare”, meaning “I will work”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future is known as "El Futuro de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | trabajare | I will work |
| Tú | trabajares | you will work |
| Ella / Él / Usted | trabajare | s/he will work |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | trabajáremos | we will work |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | trabajareis | you (plural) will work |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | trabajaren | they will work |
How it’s built: Regular: the ellas/ellos preterite, trabajaron, without -ron, plus the -re endings; nosotros adds an accent (trabajáremos).
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Trabajar in the Subjunctive Present Perfect
The Subjunctive Present Perfect is used to describe past actions or events that are still connected to the present day and to speak about an action that will have happened by a certain time in the future. For example, “haya trabajado”, meaning “I have worked”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Present Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | haya trabajado | I have worked |
| Tú | hayas trabajado | you have worked |
| Ella / Él / Usted | haya trabajado | s/he has worked |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hayamos trabajado | we have worked |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hayáis trabajado | you (plural) have worked |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hayan trabajado | they have worked |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive present (haya, hayas, haya, hayamos, hayáis, hayan) plus the past participle trabajado.
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Trabajar in the Subjunctive Past Perfect
The Subjunctive Past Perfect is used to speak about hypothetical situations, and actions/events that occurred before other actions/events in the past. For example, “hubiera trabajado”, meaning “I had worked”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Past Perfect is known as "El Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiera trabajado | I had worked |
| Tú | hubieras trabajado | you had worked |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiera trabajado | s/he had worked |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéramos trabajado | we had worked |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubierais trabajado | you (plural) had worked |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieran trabajado | they had worked |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive imperfect (hubiera, hubieras, hubiera, hubiéramos, hubierais, hubieran) plus the past participle trabajado.
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Trabajar in the Subjunctive Future Perfect
The Subjunctive Future Perfect is used to speak about something that will have happened if a hypothetical situations occurs in the future. For example, “hubiere trabajado”, meaning “I will have worked”.
In Spanish, the Subjunctive Future Perfect is known as "El Futuro Perfecto de Subjuntivo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | hubiere trabajado | I will have worked |
| Tú | hubieres trabajado | you will have worked |
| Ella / Él / Usted | hubiere trabajado | s/he will have worked |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | hubiéremos trabajado | we will have worked |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | hubiereis trabajado | you (plural) will have worked |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | hubieren trabajado | they will have worked |
How it’s built: Haber in the subjunctive future (hubiere, hubieres, hubiere, hubiéremos, hubiereis, hubieren) plus the past participle trabajado.
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Imperative tenses of Trabajar
Trabajar in the Imperative Affirmative
The Imperative Affirmative is used to give orders and commands, to tell someone to do something. For example, “trabaje”, meaning “(to you formal) work!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Affirmative is known as "El Imperativo Afirmativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | trabaja | (to you) work! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | trabaje | (to you formal) work! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | trabajemos | let's work! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | trabajad | (to you plural) work! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | trabajen | (to you plural formal) work! |
How it’s built: Tú takes the ella/él present (trabaja); usted, nosotros and ustedes take the subjunctive present (trabaje, trabajemos, trabajen); vosotros swaps the final r of the infinitive for a d (trabajad).
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Trabajar in the Imperative Negative
The Imperative Negative is used to give orders and commands, telling someone not to do something. For example, “no trabaje”, meaning “(to you formal) don't work!”.
In Spanish, the Imperative Negative is known as "El Imperativo Negativo".
| Pronoun | Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Yo | - | - |
| Tú | no trabajes | (to you) don't work! |
| Ella / Él / Usted | no trabaje | (to you formal) don't work! |
| Nosotras / Nosotros | no trabajemos | let's not work! |
| Vosotras / Vosotros | no trabajéis | (to you plural) don't work! |
| Ellas / Ellos / Ustedes | no trabajen | (to you plural formal) don't work! |
How it’s built: No plus the subjunctive present: no trabajes, no trabaje, no trabajemos, no trabajéis, no trabajen.
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Example sentences and usage
- Trabajé en una oficina de correo durante las vacaciones de verano. I worked in a post office during the summer vacation.
- Trabajo hasta los domingos. I work even on Sunday.
- Trabajas muy duro estos días. ¿No estás cansado? You work too hard these days. Aren't you tired?
- ¿Has visitado alguna vez la oficina en la que trabaja tu padre? Have you ever visited the office where your father works?
- Espero que trabajes más duro. I expect you to work harder.
- Mientras trabajaba en un banco, enseñaba economía en una universidad. While employed at the bank, he taught economics at college.
- La gente que trabaja regularmente en sitios abiertos no sufre de insomnio. People who regularly work in the open air do not suffer from sleeplessness.
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Frequently asked questions about Trabajar
Is trabajar a regular or irregular verb?
Trabajar is a fully regular -AR verb. It follows the standard -AR conjugation pattern in every tense and mood without any stem changes, spelling changes, or irregular forms. This makes it a model verb for learning the -AR conjugation system.
How do you conjugate trabajar in the present tense (presente)?
In the present tense (presente), trabajar is conjugated as: yo trabajo, tú trabajas, él/ella/usted trabaja, nosotros trabajamos, vosotros trabajáis, ellos/ellas/ustedes trabajan. The present tense is used To talk about situations, events or thoughts that are happening now or in the near future. It is also used to talk about facts and truths.
How do you conjugate trabajar in the preterite (pretérito indefinido)?
In the preterite (pretérito indefinido), trabajar is conjugated as: yo trabajé, tú trabajaste, él/ella/usted trabajó, nosotros trabajamos, vosotros trabajasteis, ellos/ellas/ustedes trabajaron. The preterite is used To talk about actions completed in the past, at a specific point in time.
How do you conjugate trabajar in the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto)?
In the imperfect (pretérito imperfecto), trabajar is conjugated as: yo trabajaba, tú trabajabas, él/ella/usted trabajaba, nosotros trabajábamos, vosotros trabajabais, ellos/ellas/ustedes trabajaban. The imperfect is used To describe regular and repeated actions that happened in the past and descriptions of things you used to do.
How do you conjugate trabajar in the future tense (futuro simple)?
In the future tense (futuro simple), trabajar is conjugated as: yo trabajaré, tú trabajarás, él/ella/usted trabajará, nosotros trabajaremos, vosotros trabajaréis, ellos/ellas/ustedes trabajarán. The future tense is used To talk about something that will happen in the future.
How do you conjugate trabajar in the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente)?
In the present subjunctive (subjuntivo presente), trabajar is conjugated as: yo trabaje, tú trabajes, él/ella/usted trabaje, nosotros trabajemos, vosotros trabajéis, ellos/ellas/ustedes trabajen. The present subjunctive is used To talk about situations of uncertainty, or emotions such as wishes, desires and hopes. It differs from the indicative mood due to the uncertainty of the events which are being spoken about.
What are some common example sentences using trabajar?
Here are everyday sentences using trabajar: Trabajé en una oficina de correo durante las vacaciones de verano. (I worked in a post office during the summer vacation.) Trabajo hasta los domingos. (I work even on Sunday.) Trabajas muy duro estos días. ¿No estás cansado? (You work too hard these days. Aren't you tired?) ¿Has visitado alguna vez la oficina en la que trabaja tu padre? (Have you ever visited the office where your father works?) Espero que trabajes más duro. (I expect you to work harder.)
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Downloadable cheat sheets
Download and print a cheat sheet of Trabajar Spanish conjugation tables in image or PDF format:
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